Remembering Our Tia Cruz
By Larry J. Rodarte © The Diaz Observer, May 2006
I always think of Tia Cruz in the month of May, knowing it was her birth-day month, and somehow I connect the crowning of Mary with her as well. Maybe because I remember seeing her as a dama de Guadalupe at St. Joe’s. I recently asked her two oldest living children to share with me a small part about their mother and I learned more of our beautiful, rich Diaz history. — Editor
The second child born to Senobio and Cecilia Diaz was a girl named Cruz on May 3, 1909, following their eldest José Vicente born in 1907. Both were born in Huadacareo, Michoacan, Mexico high in the mountains of El Rancho de Chixo.
Cruz and José were children of the Revolución and the massive unrest in their homeland of México. Grandpa Senobio moved the family to his family’s rancho named Santa Getrudis in the state of Guanajuato, while he left to work the railroad in the U.S. Here Esteban was born in 1912. Still the unrest was there too, and soon Grandpa Senobio crossed his family into the United Sates via the Laredo, Tex. border, as legal immigrants on May 15, 1919. Cruz had just turned ten.
“I remember my mom telling me they lived in Houston for some time and attended Sacred Heart Church in the Pasadena area on Navigation Blvd.,” said Concepción (Paul) Orozco, Tia Cruz’s third son. “She also attended school for a short time in Houston.”
As Uncle Steve would tell the story, the family left their comfort of Houston via train in a boxcar arriving in Crosewell, Mich., in 1927. By then five more siblings had been added to the brood: Carmen in 1919, Teodora in 1921, Raphael in 1923, Rosie Flora in 1925, all born in Houston, and Delores in 1927 after arriving in Michigan. The family worked all over Saginaw county, mostly picking sugar beets.
Eventually they settled in Saginaw, first in a house on Kirk St., then on 6th and Norman St. near St. Joseph Catholic Church. Uncle Fred was born here in 1929.
One day a young man named Pablo Orozco came knocking on the door asking to see Mr. Senobio Diaz. A Mexican man running a boarding house on Norman and 2nd St. referred him. That man said that Senobio Diaz had an upstairs apartment for rent and sent him there.
“My Ma said Grandma answered the door when my Dad came asking for Grandpa Senobio. My Ma was 16 or 17, and she said it was love at first sight,” said Cousin Paul.
Tia Cruz eloped with Uncle Pablo and was married at St. John the Baptist Church in Carrollton on April 28, 1928. Racism prevailed at St. Joe’s then, so the clergy wouldn’t marry them there. A couple by the last name Avila stood as their padrinos.
“A few days later my Dad brought my mother back to see her parents and Grandma Cecilia was very upset and mad because Dad took her,” Paul said. “But he confronted Grandpa and said he was sorry for what he did, and Grandpa forgave him, they got along real good after that. He would help him out in the field.”
Florencio was born in 1929, followed by Cupertino in 1930, Consuelo (Chelo) in 1933 and Concepción (Paul) in 1935.
Grandpa Senobio would move his family to 23rd St., one block from Washington Ave., the home where their last child was born in 1931 — Mary Adella. Tia Cruz’s family then moved to the big house on Norman.
Paul said, “The earliest I can remember was on 1110 Norman St. where we grew up. Just before we moved out of there, Richard was born in 1940. Ma was always cooking and doing her house chores and she did a lot of canning in the fall— getting ready for the winter. We moved in July of 1941 to 8th Street; a nice big home.”
It was in this house that Maragret was born in 1942. Another son named José was born in 1943, but died as an infant.
Chelo remembers the summers where the family went north and worked the fields.
“My Dad would take us to Traverse City and drop us off and return to Saginaw because of his job at the Foundry. We picked cherries, tomatoes and cucumbers. This was right after the war,” said Chelo. “There were a lot of houses like a camp. Ma was always working and cooking. She was excellent at caldos, like Caldo de Res (beef soup), mole she learned from Grandma, pork chops with chile, and tamales.
Following baby Joseph, Tia Cruz had three more girls: Mary Helen — 1945, Concepción (Rosie) —1947, and Juanita in 1951.
Much of her time was spent in the kitchen and raising her kids.
“Every time we got up to go to school, she was making tortillas for our lunch,” Chelo said. “She tried to go to the Dama meetings when she could and went to church faithfully. She was a very obedient wife, and good mother. Always guiding us, teaching her kids.”
Paul agrees about her faith, “She was always praying to herself, or sometimes she would get me or Mary (Chelo) to recite the rosary every now and then. She really taught us her prayers. She had a lot of faith in God.”
“As the years went by, she understood that she did the best she could,” added Chelo. “Her life was not easy. I felt sorry for her with so many kids, so I helped her with the washing and ironing and cleaning, so she could be in the kitchen. We had tortillas with every meal; big piles and they would all go. But Ma never complained; she just kept going.”
Sadly, Tia died on October 20, 1985 at the age of 76.
“She would have enjoyed the Reunions very much, just like the rest of the Tias and Tios,” said Paul. “You know, every Sunday we would go to Grandma’s farm and have a ball. So really we had those family Reunions going way back.”
Chelo agrees saying, “Uncle Joe and Uncle Steve always made a point to come to see my mom wherever she was living. They were very close as brothers and sisters, and remembered their hardships coming from Mexico, Texas and the early years in Michigan. They knew the love of their family, and taught that to all of us — that’s what we all feel today at the Reunions.”
The second child born to Senobio and Cecilia Diaz was a girl named Cruz on May 3, 1909, following their eldest José Vicente born in 1907. Both were born in Huadacareo, Michoacan, Mexico high in the mountains of El Rancho de Chixo.
Cruz and José were children of the Revolución and the massive unrest in their homeland of México. Grandpa Senobio moved the family to his family’s rancho named Santa Getrudis in the state of Guanajuato, while he left to work the railroad in the U.S. Here Esteban was born in 1912. Still the unrest was there too, and soon Grandpa Senobio crossed his family into the United Sates via the Laredo, Tex. border, as legal immigrants on May 15, 1919. Cruz had just turned ten.
“I remember my mom telling me they lived in Houston for some time and attended Sacred Heart Church in the Pasadena area on Navigation Blvd.,” said Concepción (Paul) Orozco, Tia Cruz’s third son. “She also attended school for a short time in Houston.”
As Uncle Steve would tell the story, the family left their comfort of Houston via train in a boxcar arriving in Crosewell, Mich., in 1927. By then five more siblings had been added to the brood: Carmen in 1919, Teodora in 1921, Raphael in 1923, Rosie Flora in 1925, all born in Houston, and Delores in 1927 after arriving in Michigan. The family worked all over Saginaw county, mostly picking sugar beets.
Eventually they settled in Saginaw, first in a house on Kirk St., then on 6th and Norman St. near St. Joseph Catholic Church. Uncle Fred was born here in 1929.
One day a young man named Pablo Orozco came knocking on the door asking to see Mr. Senobio Diaz. A Mexican man running a boarding house on Norman and 2nd St. referred him. That man said that Senobio Diaz had an upstairs apartment for rent and sent him there.
“My Ma said Grandma answered the door when my Dad came asking for Grandpa Senobio. My Ma was 16 or 17, and she said it was love at first sight,” said Cousin Paul.
Tia Cruz eloped with Uncle Pablo and was married at St. John the Baptist Church in Carrollton on April 28, 1928. Racism prevailed at St. Joe’s then, so the clergy wouldn’t marry them there. A couple by the last name Avila stood as their padrinos.
“A few days later my Dad brought my mother back to see her parents and Grandma Cecilia was very upset and mad because Dad took her,” Paul said. “But he confronted Grandpa and said he was sorry for what he did, and Grandpa forgave him, they got along real good after that. He would help him out in the field.”
Florencio was born in 1929, followed by Cupertino in 1930, Consuelo (Chelo) in 1933 and Concepción (Paul) in 1935.
Grandpa Senobio would move his family to 23rd St., one block from Washington Ave., the home where their last child was born in 1931 — Mary Adella. Tia Cruz’s family then moved to the big house on Norman.
Paul said, “The earliest I can remember was on 1110 Norman St. where we grew up. Just before we moved out of there, Richard was born in 1940. Ma was always cooking and doing her house chores and she did a lot of canning in the fall— getting ready for the winter. We moved in July of 1941 to 8th Street; a nice big home.”
It was in this house that Maragret was born in 1942. Another son named José was born in 1943, but died as an infant.
Chelo remembers the summers where the family went north and worked the fields.
“My Dad would take us to Traverse City and drop us off and return to Saginaw because of his job at the Foundry. We picked cherries, tomatoes and cucumbers. This was right after the war,” said Chelo. “There were a lot of houses like a camp. Ma was always working and cooking. She was excellent at caldos, like Caldo de Res (beef soup), mole she learned from Grandma, pork chops with chile, and tamales.
Following baby Joseph, Tia Cruz had three more girls: Mary Helen — 1945, Concepción (Rosie) —1947, and Juanita in 1951.
Much of her time was spent in the kitchen and raising her kids.
“Every time we got up to go to school, she was making tortillas for our lunch,” Chelo said. “She tried to go to the Dama meetings when she could and went to church faithfully. She was a very obedient wife, and good mother. Always guiding us, teaching her kids.”
Paul agrees about her faith, “She was always praying to herself, or sometimes she would get me or Mary (Chelo) to recite the rosary every now and then. She really taught us her prayers. She had a lot of faith in God.”
“As the years went by, she understood that she did the best she could,” added Chelo. “Her life was not easy. I felt sorry for her with so many kids, so I helped her with the washing and ironing and cleaning, so she could be in the kitchen. We had tortillas with every meal; big piles and they would all go. But Ma never complained; she just kept going.”
Sadly, Tia died on October 20, 1985 at the age of 76.
“She would have enjoyed the Reunions very much, just like the rest of the Tias and Tios,” said Paul. “You know, every Sunday we would go to Grandma’s farm and have a ball. So really we had those family Reunions going way back.”
Chelo agrees saying, “Uncle Joe and Uncle Steve always made a point to come to see my mom wherever she was living. They were very close as brothers and sisters, and remembered their hardships coming from Mexico, Texas and the early years in Michigan. They knew the love of their family, and taught that to all of us — that’s what we all feel today at the Reunions.”
